by Janet Pywell
‘Who was upstairs just now?’ Jim calls.
Hugo shrugs. ‘I don’t know. Do they want something?’ Hugo moves to walk past Jim and go inside, as if he’s on duty, but Jim places a hand on his chest.
‘You’re breathing hard,’ he says.
‘Wouldn’t you be?’ Hugo nods at me.
‘Where were you just now?’
Hugo opens his arms. ‘Well, it’s not rocket science is it? But please don’t tell Herr Schiltz. He might disapprove, and I don’t want him to think—’
‘Shut up. He’s got other things on his mind. Where’s Paula? Where’s Julie and that guy from the estate, Mac?’
‘They were here. We’ve all been here, but the family were busy. They didn’t want to be disturbed. If there’s anything they need…’ He turns to me. ‘Ronda, come into the kitchen with me.’
I stand up obediently, and Jim regards me warily.
‘Did you sneeze?’ he asks.
I frown at Jim as if he has lost the plot. ‘I think Hugo would have noticed if I did.’
Hugo bursts into laughter.
Jim disappears in the direction of the Grand Hall and while I’m smiling Hugo places a finger to his lips in a warning and says loudly, ‘Perhaps we should go upstairs and see if our guests would like anything?’
I follow Hugo up the stairs to the library, still feeling his burning kiss on my lips.
* * *
Hugo taps on the library door, and we both wait.
It’s Herr Schiltz who responds.
‘Come in.’
Hugo opens the door cautiously, and with enough leverage so I can see the guests inside. They seem to be in disarray.
Fran is crying, and Louisa is sitting with her arm around her shoulders. Roma is on her phone, and only Herr Schiltz looks confused.
‘Jim came into the kitchen. We just wanted to check to see if you need anything?’
‘Where is Jim?’ Herr Schiltz asks.
‘He was in the garden – looking for someone. He mentioned about someone sneezing?’
Herr Schiltz asks, ‘Where were you?’
‘Downstairs, sir. Waiting in the herb garden in case you need—’
‘Were you behind that bloody panel?’ He points at the bookcase.
Hugo shakes his head solemnly. ‘No, sir.’
Herr Schiltz shouts, ‘Where’s Paula? Where is everyone?’
I glance into the corridor and to the stairs that lead to the small hall and the battlements.
Herr Schiltz pushes past us.
Louisa calls, ‘Hugo, please look after Friedrich. He’s looking for Gunter and Mike – there’s been a problem.’
‘What can I do?’ Hugo asks.
‘Follow him. Make sure no one gets hurt. Roma, have you called the police yet?’
‘Very well,’ Hugo says. He whispers to me. ‘Go downstairs, Ronda. Stay in the kitchen. Stay out of the way until the police arrive.’
‘What about you?’
‘I’ll find Herr Schiltz and bring him back here.’
‘What about Gunter and Mike?’
‘Stay in the kitchen, Ronda. Go on!’ Hugo pushes me toward the stairs, and then he turns in the opposite direction and taking the steps two at a time, he heads up to the next floor and the ramparts of the battlements.
When I glance into the library, the three ladies are huddled on the sofa together. Roma is speaking quietly into her phone, and I guess she’s got through to the local police.
‘I know he did it,’ Fran sobs. ‘I just know in my heart. Everything Friedrich said was true. I lied to the police. I told them Mike had come home earlier than he did, and I shouldn’t have done. Oh, Louisa, what have I done?’
‘Don’t cry; come on.’ Louisa strokes her friend’s hair. ‘You couldn’t help it. Mike has bullied you for years.’
‘But what sort of a friend am I? I didn’t even help Iris.’
‘Shush, Fran …’ Louisa is staring at the floor. ‘Don’t cry. It’s too late now. It’s far too late for tears.’
Chapter 20
‘When someone has spent a lifetime trying to survive a death sentence, the last thing you want is your children uncovering what you have been at such pains to conceal.’
Michael Korda
Instead of heading to the kitchen as Hugo told me, I run up the stone steps; the door of the small hall is open, and I glance inside. It’s empty, so I venture up the next flight of steps to the battlements.
The door is ajar, and I hear voices. I peer cautiously through the gap and standing in front of me, Gunter and Mike are speaking quietly. There’s no sign of Hugo.
‘That didn’t go well, did it?’ Mike says, calmly lighting a cigar.
‘No,’ agrees Gunter. ‘You need to get the gun. It’s the only thing they can link back to you.’
They’re leaning companionably on the wall, gazing out at the river and trees beyond, Mike sighs.
‘Yes. I need to get the gun back from Friedrich. Stupid old man. I’ll go into his room later.’
‘What about Louisa and Fran?’
‘I can sort Fran out. She’s my wife. She’ll do as she’s told. What about Roma, can you handle her?’
‘She doesn’t know I’m involved, so I want to keep it that way.’
‘You’d sacrifice me to keep your name out of it all?’
‘I wasn’t the one who killed Iris. You said it was the only option. I trusted you, Mike. But she was still my mother.’
‘That bloody Wilhelm, how could he recognise my aftershave?’
Gunter turns to face him, and I dodge back so he can’t see me in his peripheral vision.
‘He’s a smart boy. That’s why I was pleased when my father sent him away. It’s the best thing he did, get him out of our way. But he’s unhinged. You could see that this weekend. He was looking for a fight.’
‘It’s always amazed me that there’s no love lost between you two.’ Mike sucks on his cigar.
‘He’s spoilt. You can see the way Papa defended him. He wouldn’t have done that for me.’
There are footsteps on the stairs behind me, and I freeze. I can’t go onto the roof. There’s no way down, but there is a small cupboard. I pull open the door and step over a bucket and mop before pulling the door closed.
Footsteps rush past. I wait, holding my breath and when I think it’s clear, I push open the door and step quietly into the corridor. The entrance to the battlements swings open, and I check to make sure there’s no one behind me.
Gunter and Mike are facing Herr Schiltz and Jim.
‘Gunter?’ shouts Herr Schiltz. ‘Tell me you’re not involved in any of this.’
‘I’m not.’
‘Then stand away from Mike. We’ve called the police.’
Gunter doesn’t move. ‘That’s a bit drastic, Papa. Mike’s your business partner.’
‘Not anymore.’
‘You’re basing your accusations on Wilhelm’s ability to smell and recognise Mike’s aftershave.’ Gunter laughs. ‘That won’t stand up in court.’
‘We also have Fran’s testimony.’
‘Fran won’t testify.’ Mike leans confidently against the wall. ‘You’re making a fool of yourself, Friedrich.’
‘I have a gun.’
‘There won’t be any evidence on that, not after five years locked away and then washed in a dirty river.’
‘They’ll trace it back to who bought it.’ Herr Schiltz’s voice doesn’t sound so confident now, and beside him Jim stands like a wrestler waiting to get in the ring.
‘That’s impossible.’ Mike laughs. ‘You should give up and join us. There’s no need to resign and close down some of the company. Take some time off, go to the Caribbean with Louisa, enjoy your retirement.’
‘You killed my wife.’
‘You didn’t love her.’
‘I did. I did love her once – it just changed, that’s all.’ He raises his voice. ‘She was your mother, Gunter. Mike killed your mother – how doe
s that make you feel?’
‘She loved Wilhelm more.’
‘You were always a jealous boy, but we can sort this out. Come down to the library, Gunter. We can wait for the police in there.’
‘I’m happy out here with Mike.’
‘And I can finish this.’ Mike waves his cigar in the air.
‘I don’t want to ask Jim to take you down.’
‘Then don’t.’
It’s a standoff but then Herr Schiltz moves forward, and he reaches out for his son. ‘I’m surprised at you, Gunter, you knew all along?’
‘I guessed,’ he lies.
‘But you didn’t do anything? You didn’t tell me?’
‘You were busy protecting Wilhelm. What did you want me to do?’
‘You’re involved in the illegal shipments from China, aren’t you?’ Herr Schiltz steps back as if realising for the first time that his eldest son is involved.
Gunter laughs. ‘What do you want? A taped confession?’
‘This is between us as a family.’ Herr Schiltz reaches out, but Gunter bats his father’s hand away and Herr Schiltz loses his balance.
Quickly, Jim steps forward and grabs Gunter’s wrist. He twists him roughly, pulling his arm behind his back and he shoves him against the wall.
Gunter tries to pull away, and a scuffle takes place, but Herr Schiltz is knocked over and he falls to the floor.
Jim wraps Gunter in a stranglehold then it all happens quickly. Mike is running at full speed toward me, hurling himself through the door where I’m standing. He pushes me aside, and I fall back against the wall, watching him leap down the stairs.
I leave the men wrestling on the battlements and run after Mike, down the stairs and past the library.
Roma calls out, ‘Gunter, is that you?
Louisa is on her feet, and I slow my pace.
‘Ronda? Where’s Friedrich?’
‘On the battlements.’ I don’t stop. I’m running again, down the stairs, jumping the last few steps through the empty kitchen and out into the herb garden. I run past the bench, along the path, then I see Mike running across the gravel to Mac’s parked Land Rover.
I chase him at full speed and just as he opens the car door, I reach it first, and I slam it shut.
‘Ronda?’ he cries. ‘Get the fu—get off!’
‘I’m not letting you go.’
He raises his fist and hits me on the cheek. He catches me by surprise, knocking me off my feet. I fall onto the gravel, and it scrapes my palms.
I jump up. Mike has one foot inside the car. He’s off-balance so I grab the back of his shirt collar and pull him roughly away, and then I take up my kickboxing stance.
He hurls himself at me. I lift my knee, and I snap it to the left, striking him on the inside of his thigh in a side knee kick. I spin and side-elbow him in the cheekbone, then turning quickly I use my left arm to strike his nose. I hear it break as I downward elbow and hit him on the forehead.
‘Freeze!’ a voice shouts.
I move quickly and raise my left knee to my chest, flex my foot and lead with my heel and kick him with all my force in the chest.
Mike collapses, winded, on the ground.
‘Police! Don’t move!’
From the corner of my eye, Julie moves forward holding a gun. Behind her, Mac is holding a rifle, and Hugo is smiling at me.
‘Great drop kick, Ronda!’ he laughs.
Chapter 21
‘To conceal anything from those to whom I am attached, is not in my nature. I can never close my lips where I have opened my heart.’
Charles Dickens
I sit on the grass verge in front of Castle Calder’s magnificent entrance. Julie is dressed in jeans and a cream blouse, as she was earlier, but without the apron. I watch her handcuff Mike to the steering wheel of the Land Rover. He’s groaning and clutching his bleeding nose, but Julie ignores him. Meanwhile, I’m trying to piece everything together.
Hugo says, ‘Great job, Ronda. Mac, come with me. Let’s check on things inside.’
The two men disappear without a backward glance, and I wait for Julie to join me.
‘You’re police?’ I ask.
‘Yes, I’m with Police Scotland, here in Aberdeen.’
‘Did you put the package in my bedroom?’
‘Yes.’
‘And, you know Inspector Joachin?’
‘Inspector Joachin García Abascal?’
‘Yes, that’s the one.’
She thinks for a minute. ‘I met him briefly. He’s with the International Crime Squad at Europol. They have no jurisdiction in Scotland. They asked for our help.’
‘Help?’
‘Yes, they were tracking down a valuable stolen diamond.’
‘Diamond?’ I can’t hide my surprise.
‘It’s rare and valuable, presumably worth a couple of million. You know, the blue diamond? Mr Schiltz bought it on the black market a few months ago – back in January.’ She smiles.
‘I thought this was all about the murder of his first wife.’
She smiles. ‘After Herr Schiltz bought the diamond on the black market, from a Russian dealer, the inspector did his homework. He found out that Herr Schiltz kept the diamond in a safety deposit box in a bank in Germany. It so happened, it was one of the items that got swept away in the storm, but they found it. Unfortunately, Herr Schiltz was greedy. He tried to claim on the insurance but they were suspicious of him.’
I shake my head, taking in all the information.
Julie continues, ‘and, when the German police found the gun, the inspector wanted to nail Herr Schiltz for the murder of his wife too. We all thought that he had killed his wife – that’s why he hid the gun – until this weekend.’
I sit up, hugging my knees.
‘You need some ice on that cheek of yours, Ronda. You’ll have a nasty bruise on your face.’
I ignore Julie, concentrating, trying to make sense of what’s happened over the weekend.
She sees my confusion because she grins and says, ‘We knew that they had a reservation here at Castle Calder for the weekend. So, I came on ahead, though I wasn’t sure Mrs Long would give me the job.’
‘You’re good in the kitchen.’
‘Thank you, but I only got through it thanks to you.’
‘You’re undercover?’
‘Yes.’
‘You’re a good policewoman too.’ I punch her arm. ‘I’d never have guessed.’
‘That’s the idea, Ronda.’
‘But I took all the risks.’ I shake my head. ‘I put the gun in the napkin.’
‘We were watching you, all the time.’
‘So, Inspector Joachin asked me to put the gun on the table to confront Herr Schiltz, but he was really after the ring, the ring he’d given his wife the night before?’
Julie nods.
‘You texted him the first evening to say you’d put the ring in the cake. So, we knew where it was all the time. That was the easy part. Afterwards, it was just a case of stirring up the family to clear up a five-year-old murder case—’
‘In Germany.’
‘Exactly.’
‘And, you do this for a living?’
‘Yes.’ Julie smiles and I can see now that she’s an attractive girl.
‘What about Mac? Did he know?’
‘Only a few hours ago. I managed to get him and Paula out of the way. I had to keep them safe. I couldn’t take a chance it wouldn’t turn nasty. One of them may have had another weapon. But it was great to have Mac to back me up, especially with Jim around.’
‘And what about Hugo?’ I ask.
Julie jumps to her feet as a black Mercedes comes through the front gate and up the gravel drive.
‘He’s a great sommelier,’ she replies. She adds with a grin, ‘And here comes our big boss.’
* * *
Inspector Joachin García Abascal climbs out of the car. He’s dressed casually in beige chinos and an olive-green linen jacket. With
him is a tall slim lady in a sharp navy suit and white blouse.
‘Hello, Ronda. I’m Inspector Niven.’ She smiles but her face is narrow and her eyes sharp.
Inspector Joachin holds out his arms. ‘Sorry I’m late. I had to make a few phone calls. Ronda – thank you!’ He takes me by the shoulders and kisses me – Spanish-style – on both cheeks. ‘Oh, that’s a nasty bruise, who did that?’
‘Him.’
I nod at Mike, handcuffed to the car steering wheel. ‘But he’s stopped whingeing now.’
‘Well, I believe you got him back with a very smooth drop kick.’
I blink surprised. ‘You know everything?
‘Almost.’ Inspector Joachin grins.
I can’t help but think what a lovely kind smile he has and I glance down to check the wedding band on his finger.
‘And, Julie. Congratulations!’ He turns, and he kisses her too, in his smooth European fashion. ‘Thank you. Your work has been exemplary. I believe Chief Inspector McGrath will be thanking you in person at a later date.’
Julie beams. I can tell she’s as charmed by Inspector Joachin as I am.
He turns away and walks towards the Land Rover.
‘Well done, Julie.’ Inspector Niven smiles. ‘We’ll chat later.’
Julie nods.
‘Hello, Michael,’ Inspector Joachin announces, ‘The police will take you to the police station shortly, and charge you for the trade of illegal animals from China into America. The German police want to interview you for the murder of Iris Schiltz, five years ago. They are also investigating the company where you are managing director. And I don’t take it lightly that you assaulted Ronda. No real man hits a woman but then again, I think, to your eternal embarrassment, you found that out yourself. It will be up to her if she presses charges – however, I do believe that will be the least of your concerns.’
A police car with a flashing light comes quickly up the driveway, followed by two black vans.
‘Ah, good. Reinforcements.’ Joachin smiles. He turns to me and asks, ‘Now, where are the rest of the family, Ronda?’